Bicycle Hypocrite

I'm not entirely sure how to go about admitting this, but I think I have discovered that I am a bicycle hypocrite.  I am definitely sure I don't know what to do about it (if anything), but here is the tale. Hopefully, it will help me be a bit more rational to share some thoughts.

Image found here

For quite some time, I rode my bicycle on a busy highway to and from work and to do pretty much anything I needed to get done on a given day in town. The route I rode was approximately 8-9 miles one way. The highway speeds (for cars) often reached 70-75mph (though the actual limit is 65 mph). I never wore a helmet, never worried about my safety, and arrived to all destinations without harm. Honestly, I never thought twice about the cars (unless they were honking at me or cutting me off) and merrily went on my way, singing songs, finding random objects on the side of the road, and just enjoying being outside. When we moved "into" town early last year, that route disappeared from my rides because everything was much closer (and because I wasn't working anymore, but instead had to travel to school - by car - ugh... the car).

Anyway, just before we moved Sam's job changed and had him traveling from an in-town job to a destination to the south of us. Obviously, this was an increase in mileage (instead of what would've been a 3 mile one-way quick ride, he now has a 17 mile one-way trip), and I assumed that he would no longer be riding his bike to work, but would rather drive. I was wrong. Instead, Sam decided that he still wanted to try to ride his bike, at least sometimes, to work. While I admire the goal of riding the 34 mile round trip, the path he takes is down a very busy highway for all but about 1 mile of the distance.

Although I know he can physically ride the distance in a decent time, I have found that I turn into one of the people I worked with who would always ask, "Are you sure you don't want a ride home tonight? It is raining after all." Every time he rides I repeatedly state that I am more than happy to come and pick him up in the car. Why am I doing this? My biggest concern is the traffic on the highway and knowing how people drive while on it, coupled with the fact that it really isn't very well lit (though he does have lights on his bike). It's dark while he travels in both directions (at least during this time of year), and I worry about his safety. Today, he was about 30 minutes later than I expected and I was preparing to go on a hunt just as he walked in the door. While I understand he is a "big boy" and can make his own decisions, I find that I worry far more about his safety than I did (do) about my own. Am I being a control freak, or is this a genuine concern? In general, I don't tend to feel the need to control what others do, and I do think that this is a legitimate concern, but I also think that I am over-worrying about the situation at times. As soon as he's more than 15 minutes late though, my mind starts wandering and I picture horrific scenes that I won't even bother to share here (let's just say I have a very vivid imagination).

While I can't necessarily control my concern for him, I am trying to give it a rest and let him do something that I know makes him happy. After all, even though my route was shorter and traversing a different highway, I have been in his shoes and survived just fine. Any thoughts on the matter are happily accepted.  Maybe you've had a similar experience or can offer some thoughts on the matter.